Field of the Invention. The present invention generally relates to urinary devices, and more particularly relates to non-invasive female urinary devices.
Background Information. An increasing number of women are spending a greater amount of time outdoors. This is due to a number of reasons, including involvement in such sports as hunting and fishing, and also due to time spent in jobs such as construction and the armed forces. As a result of the time spent outdoors, women have increasingly realized that toilet facilities can be absent when needed. While men have the ability to urinate behind the cover of a few trees in almost total privacy, women must disrobe to a far greater extent, and therefore enjoy far less privacy. This problem is sometimes exacerbated, particularly in the sporting, construction and military environment, by the likelihood that far more men will be present than women.
Additionally, there are many situations where women must be able to urinate in a seated position, where toilet facilities are not present. For example, a number of women suffer from disabilities or diseases that result in use of a wheelchair and that result in the need to urinate frequently. Where a wheelchair or similar mobility-disabling condition is present, it may be difficult or impossible to access an available toilet. Where frequent urination is an issue, this condition may be exacerbated by travel, particularly in small aircraft without toilet facilities. As a result, these conditions and many other similar conditions make the ability to urinate in a hygienic manner while in a seated position extremely advantageous.
As a result, there is a need for a female urinary device that is non-invasive and enables a woman to urinate standing or sitting in places where a conventional toilet is inconvenient due to physical disability or unavailable.
The present invention is directed to an apparatus that satisfies the above needs. A novel non-invasive female urinary device is disclosed that allows a woman to urinate in a standing or sitting position, with only minimal disrobing and which results in little or no transfer of urine to the clothes or body of the woman.
The non-invasive female urinary device of the present invention provides some or all of the following structures.
(A) A scoop portion is designed to be positioned adjacent to the woman""s body, and is sized to fit between the labia majora. The scoop gathers urine as it is produced, with little or no loss due to spillage.
(B) A generally tubular body, defining an interior passage, is attached at a first end to the scoop portion. A preferred body is made of six flat sides to allow the woman to control the orientation of the device, thereby preventing the rotation of the scoop and the spillage of urine. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the top side of the six sides defines a logo molded or printed on the surface of the top side. The logo provides a tactile reference, allowing the woman to orient the device without the need for visual input.
(C) A flow concentrator is attached to a second end of the tubular body. The flow concentrator narrows the stream of urine to result in a smooth and continuous stream, without the separation of small droplets which may be moved by air currents in undesirable directions. The discharge opening is defined by a generally rectangular rim which results in a preferred flow pattern consistent with the highest level of hygiene possible.
It is therefore a primary advantage of the present invention to provide a novel non-invasive female urinary device that allows a woman to urinate while standing up or while sitting in places where a conventional toilet is inconvenient or unavailable, with an absolute minimum of disrobing.
Another advantage of the present invention is to provide a novel non-invasive female urinary device that is comfortable to use, and that results in leak-free contact by a scoop portion that fits between the labia majora.
A still further advantage of the present invention is to provide a novel non-invasive female urinary device that provides a flow concentrator having an opening defined by a generally rectangular rim that results in a smooth and continuous urine stream consistent with the highest level of personal hygiene, without the separation of small droplets which may be moved by air currents in undesirable directions.
Still other objects and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in this art from the following detailed description wherein I have shown and described only the preferred embodiment of the invention, simply by way of illustration of the best mode contemplated by carrying out my invention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of modification in various obvious respects all without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description of the preferred embodiment are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive.